Near Dark 2 : Aftermath
by Cubaleo65
Summary: They escaped a nightmare, but happiness isn't forever.
1. prologue

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" The chorus of voices brought a huge smile to her face as she looked around the table, Mae and Caleb sat directly across from her with smiles on their faces that matched her own, her dad sat at the head of the table with a lighter in hand having just finished lighting the wicks of the seven candles adorning the chocolate frosted cake Mae had baked for her special day "Go ahead sweetheart, blow out the candles!" She stood up and leaned over, drawing in a lungful of air as she got ready to blow, the flames flickered and most went out as she let it all back out aiming for the small wax sticks before her.

Two stubborn ones stayed lit but only for a second as she took another gulp of air and quickly released it, Caleb chuckled at this and once they were out reached over to pluck them from the chocolate and in doing so his arm crossed through a beam of sunlight that streamed in through The living room windows, to his and everyone else's shock a series of blisters instantly formed along the entire length of his forearm accompanied by whisps of smoldering smoke as it heralded the fire that erupted along the exposed skin.

"GGGRGH..AAAAHHHHH" the scream of agony filled the room and was soon joined by Mae's as her own arm followed suit when she reached for his to pull it from the intense August sunlight.

"NO,NO,NO,NO!" Sarah shook her head back and forth as she refused to acknowledge the horror that befell her brother and his girlfriend, "it wasn't possible!" she thought, Daddy had told her they had been cured of the virus that had infected them, she had watched them running, walking and playing around in direct contact with the sun many times on the farm in the year that followed the horrible weeks that Caleb had disappeared.

She looked up from the roasting limbs before her and into the eyes of her older brother, the loving face she was used to seeing had now changed into that of a monster, large sharp and pointed teeth glistened with saliva as he snarled at her like a rabid animal, and that very same limb she'd been staring at now reached out to grab her, "CALEB NO!" Looking over to his right Mae took his lead succeeding in getting a hold of her shirt collar and began to drag her towards her, destroying the cake as she did so "NO! DADDY PLEASE HELP ME!" To her bewilderment the sweet loving features of her father now wore the same snarling, hungry mask of terror that the others had " AAAAAAAIIIEEEEEEE!" The wail emptied her lungs and try as she might she couldn't inhale more air as she'd done just minutes ago, the blackness of unconsciousness rapidly crept in on her from the edges of her world, until it took over completely, but before succumbing, she could of sworn she'd felt the prick of sharp teeth along the skin of her neck.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" Sarah bolted into a sitting position, drops of sweat running down her temples, even though a chill spread throughout her body and made her tremble, the nightmare slowly disintegrated until only a foggy remembrance remained, "where the hell did that come from?" She asked herself as she got out of bed and made her way to the kitchen, it had been thirty plus years since Caleb's little older she got, the more resentment she'd felt towards her older brother for allowing his sexual urges to put them all in danger, but eventually she'd forgiven him and even accepted Mae into the family as her dad had.

"Shit! Why the fucking nightmares then?" She thought as she took the coffee mug from the instacup coffee maker, it was preprogrammed to start brewing at five every morning, and even on a Saturday she woke up early. She carefully sipped the hot liquid, relishing the rich dark roast taste as it slid along her taste buds and down her throat, as she enjoyed the morning brew her eyes wondered to the magnetic calendar attached to her fridge door "Hoooooly shiiit!" She yelled spitting some of the coffee out and onto the granite countertop of her kitchen island as she realized the date, August 24th Caleb's birthday.

Sarah made herself some breakfast before changing into some sweatpants, matching hoodie, ankle socks and her running shoes, she needed to clear her head and get the jumbled mess of her thoughts into place, and a good run always helped do just that. An hour later she was on her way back and still had no idea why the nightmares had begun, but the fact that it coincided with her brother's birthday made her come to the inevitable conclusion that she'd be making a road trip in the very near future, she just hoped that after the last visit her brother still welcomed her.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 Road Trip

The cloudless night skies were filled with so many bright stars it resembled a curtain of black Velvet sprinkled with glitter, the light from the stars supplied the only illumination available along the desolate landscape of the black tar highway, she watched the white lines as they were swallowed up by the front end of her 2010 Jeep Liberty and her mind began to wander. The phenomenon she remembered was called "white line fever" and it had caused many truck-related accidents as a result of its mesmerizing effect. After eight hours on the road her focus began to drift off, the same feeling as daydreaming but at night, so instead of adding to the stats, she decided to find a rest stop.

The neon road signs announcing gas, food, and restrooms for the weary road warriors began to appear a few miles down the road and a few minutes later the main building of the restaurant materialized from the surrounding woods, as she turned into the lot the rest of the strip mall came into view.

She pulled into a spot away from the entrance of the building, not wanting to be disturbed by the people traffic, her right hand resting on the butt of the 9mm she had tucked into the waistband of her jeans "better safe than sorry" she thought. She stepped out of her vehicle for a nice stretch and then made her way to the back of the truck, she'd put the rear row of seats down and made a makeshift bed with some pillows and a blanket, within minutes her head was comfortably resting on the pillow and as the fogginess of sleep took over she found thoughts drifting back to the events of that and horrific day at the farm when their paradise came crumbling down around them.

February 24th, 1999

The day had started out as normal as could be, Mae and Sarah had made some fried chicken, fresh corn, coleslaw, and some Mac and cheese followed by some peach cobbler which was her brother's favorite and after they'd relaxed in the living room to just enjoy each other's company. Sarah couldn't believe her older brother was actually getting old now, "Thirty years old! is that some gray hair sprouting out on the sides I see?" She flattened out her right hand and placed it on her forehead as if looking out a log distance, in response she received a flying stuffed donkey to the temple, "You respect your elders', young lady!" And with that Caleb burst out in laughter "turning Heeeey! Watch that! Mr. Tumbles is a family member." They both stared at each other momentarily before bursting out in laughter. I think it's time for a challenge race, bikes not horses, how bout it? Mae looked at them both "I want in on this too!" Caleb smiled, "That's not a problem, let's go! Dad, can you be the starter? " His father smiled and got up from his recliner " ok, I'm way too old to be racing anyway. "

Caleb, Mae, and Sarah looked to one another as the cold wind picked up a bit, the snow had fallen and the fields looked pristine, as not a single flake was disturbed on the ground. The quiet though was soon disrupted as all three kick-started the dirt bikes they mounted, the engines came to life and filled the air with a sputtering reminiscent of the sound made by Leatherface's chainsaw being swung about in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" movies, each rider twisted the accelerators and held the brakes to Rev up the engines even more as they prepared to start the race.

Caleb yelled out to the girls "first one to the tree line and back wins!" Sarah smiled and responded back "Alright old man! try not to hurt anything on the way there, losers have to do the winners chores, I don't want Mae to be stuck with all the work!" Mae's laughter filled the air "don't count on that win just yet short stuff, I've ridden motorcycles almost as long as I have horses." Flashing a bright smile at Sarah and Caleb she gunned the engine for emphasis. They all watched the yellow flare gun Loy Colton held high above his head on the opposite side of the field and waited for the flare to erupt from within and light up in the blue skies like a makeshift firework, he'd searched in his barn for something to make a flag but had spotted the gun which had fallen behind a cabinet and decided it would be a better alternative, finally, when he saw them ready he gently squeezed the trigger and with a woosh, the flare was ejected and launched 1000 feet into the space above Loy's head.

The three bikes released their brakes at about the same time, all three bikes rocketing towards the tree line that was just about three new york city blocks away, and the distance was closing fast. Caleb had the lead for a bit but Sarah and Mae weren't very far behind, inches separating the leader from the rest, halfway there Mae pulled ahead with a twist of the wrist and a shift of her gears, the sudden burst surprising the other two who now found themselves a good foot or so behind. Caleb watched and chuckled to himself as she lifted off the seat, turned and smiled at him and Sarah then shook her butt at them in a gloating manner, but the smile quickly faded as he caught a glimpse of sudden motion in front of her in the spot he knew his father would be waiting for them. Mae was still smiling as she sat back down onto the leather seat of her bike and shifted gears yet again, this was also the precise moment the world of happiness she'd come to know ceased to exist once again as the nightmare world made it's ugly presence known.

The three strangers stood right at the edge of the field underneath the shadows created by the trees, each clad in black and donning cowboy-style overcoats and hats looking every bit like the outlaws in a western except for the fact that each of them was barefoot, and their long black shoulder-length hair made them look more like an 80's country-rock band. She felt the terror begin to crawl over her as she realized that Loy had no idea they stood a foot or so behind him, that in itself was not an easy task to accomplish, knowing that they were more than just three "cowboys" come to visit she waited for "the other shoe to drop" and the wait was not long at all.

Caleb and Sarah were both aware of the "visitors" by the time they'd caught up to Mae who had stopped her bike and was waving her arms frantically in an attempt to warn Loy who was still oblivious to the strangers presence, both wore the same look of restrained terror as they joined in Mae's attempt and began to gesture for their father to come to them "Dad! Run to us! Come here!" Sarah tried but neither her voice nor her brother's who had begun to yell as well would save him from the inevitable.

Loy Colton had lost his wife to a dreadful battle with cancer which had drained both of them and left him with a three year old little girl and a fifteen year old teenage boy to bring up on his own, in turn, had been the catalyst responsible for giving him the strength he needed to not only track down his son, but to also accept the existence of those vile creatures who had taken him and rescue Mae in the process as well from the hell she had endured for so long a time. He admittedly had little trust in Mae at first, knowing that she'd been a part of and done things with that group that would raise the hairs on the back of anyone's neck, but he also reminded himself that she had done so in order to survive and had risked her life to help Caleb.

The atrocities dished out by them had not been because of what they had become, but instead because of who they had been before the transformation in the first place "A dark heart will always be dark, just as a kind heart will always remain so." He had told Mae when she'd confessed her fears of reverting back and hurting the very family she'd come to love. After a few years the events as well as the nightmares they all had faded to the far recesses of their minds, not forgotten but set aside to allow new happy memories to form, in those years it seemed as if everything would be normal yet again.

Loy watched the trio in amusement as they waved frantically at him and called for him to join them, "now what the hell are they up too? Race isn't over yet we agreed to here and back." That was the precise moment his mind and body went into a paralyzing "deer in the headlights" fear as the sound of several twigs snapping reached his ears and he realized the origin of the sound was directly behind him. He never had the chance to turn completely as the impact took him by surprise, just before it his peripheral vision glimpsed a very wide and tall form towering above him and covered by thick black fur, just as his eyes looked forward and registered the huge paw with razor-sharp claws swinging towards him and giving him his final thought "bear?".

All three riders sat in silence for a few seconds that felt more like hours, all motions had stopped as did their bikes and the screaming, while their minds tried to comprehend what their eyes were taking in quickly realizing that the "other" world was saying "we're back!". Loy's head was detached from the rest of his body with just one swipe of the beast's claw, it literally flew through the air trailing a gory stream of blood like some human comet sailing across the skies, it's journey stopping prematurely only due to it being snatched up out of the air by one of the strangers.

Caleb's vocal cords seemed to have disappeared as he attempted to scream out yet couldn't utter a sound, it may have been the shouting he'd already done, but it was more than likely that it was the shock of looking down into the lifeless eyes of his father's severed head, as it settled upon a spot on the ground directly in front of his feet. The stranger to the right of his father's lifeless remains had a Cheshire grin upon his face which showcased very large sharp teeth that were evident even from the distance they shared, he was the last to "change" as the other two stood tall and menacing on their hind legs in their full werewolf forms, the middle one still had blood falling from the very claw that had sliced through his father.

"WEREWOLVES?" His mind tried to comprehend it all and even with everything that he and his family had been through it wasn't an easy thing to take in, "Of COURSE FUCKING WEREWOLVES!" He let out a manic laughter that startled the girls out of their uncontrollable crying/screaming fit, "NEXT WEEK THE MUMMY WILL PAY A FUCKING VISIT!" as her brother lost his hold on his sanity for a bit, Sarah Colton held on to the burning rage building up inside as she looked upon her deceased father's face, which still wore a look of surprised horror upon it. The sudden sound of a bike engine exploding into life knocked Caleb back to reality as he watched the bike and it's rider jet off in the very direction the beasts still stood, he was about to yell out in an attempt to call his sister back but in catching a glimpse of the "Hello Kitty" painted on the back of the rider's helmet he knew it wasn't Sarah "NOOOOOO! DONT DO IT MAE!" He knew it was too late though, once she set her mind on something it was difficult to convince her otherwise. He revved up his own engine and Sarah followed Suit as they tried to catch her before she reached the awaiting beasts, but as they watched they soon discovered that their attempt was for naught.

The sound of the semi making its way into the rest stop woke Sarah from reliving the events of that cold day, "I fucking wish I could forget all this shit!", Within a few minutes, she was back on the road and heading to her brother, who she hadn't seen since their argument about her plan for revenge on those responsible for both Mae and their father. "Mae." Sarah shook her head, at least their dad never knew what had killed him, but with Mae, she had chosen it to try and save them, buying them precious time, if not for her actions they would have all shared their father's fate. She couldn't help but drift back in her eyes mind to that day yet again.


	3. Chapter 2

The Visit part Deux

The middle creature dropped to all fours and let out what started as a bone-chilling growl but ended in a howl that filled the air and caused the others to join in, Mae watched as it dug its large paws into the snow and squared its shoulders reminiscent of a bull about to charge, she knew she was making a stupid mistake in delivering herself to them but had decided it was the best choice. She blamed herself for all of it dating back to the day she had met Caleb, she should have just killed him like all the others before, she didn't enjoy it like the rest of her "family" but knew it was a necessity.

Her very existence had become one big contradiction, she hated hurting anyone but had to in order to obtain the blood that would satiate her "infliction", which in turn would continue the very life she'd hoped many times before would come to its miserable end. She had been extremely lonely on the night she'd gone looking for sustenance, when she spotted Caleb by his truck she'd made up her mind instantly that he'd be hers, after riding a bit with him her longing for a companion to share her time with convinced her that he'd be more than just a food supply. Then something within her had switched on and though she knew he'd forever be like her, she had decided they'd escape the group and live an eternity with one another.

Now so many years later and after pushing all those events away in the catacombs of her memory while finally establishing a semi-normal life it came all back full circle, she knew who the three were as soon as they changed "Palmero brothers" she'd thought, a long time ago Jessie the "father figure" of her dysfunctional group had hired them to track down a renegade named Severen that he wanted to recruit "They've found us." Was the first thought that entered her mind, then as she watched Loy get decapitated she knew they were here to make amends for the losses suffered. Jessie had always been at odds with the "committee" not wanting to abide by the laws they'd established, he had always had issues with "rules" and would rather live the nomadic lives he and his group followed, the committee didn't care for any of them but always kept an eye on their actions. So she was sure when word of their demise reached them, and she knew it definitely had, liked or not retribution for their loss would have to be had.

The gut-wrenching growl that reached her ears snapped her out of her thoughts and forced her focus back on the trio, the alpha who was the bigger of the three was now charging full steam at her snarling and exposing the deadliest looking set of canines she had ever seen, powerful arms propelled it into the air at the very last second before impact sending the huge beast directly at Mae's chest, "so this is how it ends." The thought crossed her mind as she was hurled backward off her seat and for an instance she experienced the sensation of weightlessness, only to have it abruptly end when her body slammed into the snow and the solidness of the frozen ground underneath making her vision blur from impact, once cleared she quickly wished for the blurriness to return as she stared into the yellow orbs of the beast's eyes.

She could feel the low key growl reverberating through her as the beast's snout burrowed for a bit at the spot where her neck and shoulder joined, saliva fell from its jaws and dribbled along her neck as it's foul warm breath raked over her skin, she had her eyes closed in a hard squint as she waited for its sharp teeth to rip apart her flesh and feast on her blood. Yet the moment never came as she felt her ankle gripped in a vise-like hold and the snow whipping against her face and head as the creature dragged her with the ease of a child dragging its favorite toy, the last sounds she heard before letting the welcome numbness of unconsciousness take over was the familiar sputtering of the dirt bike engines in the distance, a distance she knew they would never close in on in time.

The bikes came to a sudden stop as their path was suddenly blocked by the two hulking bodies belonging to the other two beasts, Caleb and Sarah's hearts sank in knowing they'd never see Mae again, the reality was that even if they had reached her they wouldn't have been able to save her. Now they faced their own certain demise in the form of the two werewolves before them, 20 feet separated them from the snapping fangs of the two beasts and they both prayed it would be enough, "The barn!" Sarah heard her brother's direction and without hesitation, both swung their bikes around opening the throttles up and heading straight for the open doors of the barn, after their previous life-changing events they had helped their father add certain "fail-safes" to the old structure.

They jumped off their bikes in unison as they threw the machines off to the side, they could hear the approaching threat but dared not turn to look and end up losing precious distance or time, they just hoped that they had enough of both to get inside before them and do what they needed to do. The lighter furred of the two was a bit ahead of its partner as they closed the gap between them and that which they pursued, it wasn't Sure of why it had to kill the prey but knew that it was what the Alpha had commanded before dragging his own capture away, now they were close the blood lust rising within them as they reached the open barn doors just a few feet behind the two they chased. They both knew the routine well since their father had made them go through it mentally and physically year after year until they had it timed perfectly, the device he had created resembled a giant rake minus the Long handle, each prong was made out of steel blades that once resided on the farms corn harvester and each one was sharpened to the max. The deadly edges facing forward towards the barn entrance. The whole thing was spring-loaded and locked into ready position via a long steel rod that was attached to a hook on one end and molded rubber grip on the other, it was simplicity at its best when you really followed the flow of execution for the makeshift trap, a thing of beauty and destruction all in one.

Caleb made sure Sarah was running next to him as he slammed down on the grip, as one end lowered the other raised and released the hook holding the loaded device at bay, as it launched in an arc towards them it pulled a high tension cable that was attached to a hidden floor panel that covered the entranced to the escape tunnel beneath them. The creature clawed at them as he finally closed the gap they'd established but was met with nothing but empty space as they disappeared into the hole that had opened up beneath them, in their place three long blades accelerated towards the bewildered beast blinding it momentarily as the sun's light glinted off the silver of the sharpened edges. The attempt to vault over the oncoming danger was futile as each blade made contact with its torso and began to slice him like a loaf of bread, it's cry of agony filled the interior of the barn for a quick moment then ended abruptly as one of the blades sliced through the thick muscles of its neck, sending the grotesque visage rolling across the wooden floorboards and into the snow where its blood decorated the white like some demented finger painting.

"It worked!" He thought as the panel above his head began to slide back into place, the drop was ten feet deep but a miniature version of a stuntman's airbag was fitted into the space at the bottom of the shaft, he grabbed Sarah's outstretched hand and let her help him off the cushioned surface.

The tunnel was well lit and its walls had been reinforced with cement, constriction had taken them forever or so it had seemed, but once done it inspired them to continue preparing for the inevitable retaliation that would follow. They both ran as fast as possible in the confined space racing towards the steel-reinforced door at the end, the tunnel would deposit them inside the garage which was attached to the main house and held within it the only vehicle other than the bikes, it was a black '93 Ford F-150 Lightning they had dubbed Charles when they'd purchased it. Caleb reached for the door handle and was surprised at how cold it was, he turned it to release the lock, but to his dismay, it refused to open and just like in a horror movie it was at this moment that the large form of the third werewolf crashed through the hidden panel and landed hard upon the cushion beneath, the thing's claws ripped through the reinforced vinyl sending streams of pressurized air up into the space, it's fur billowed upward as the air rushed past making it look like a demon sent straight from the pits of damnation.

When it spotted its prey a roar erupted that traveled the distance of the shaft and slammed into them with enough force that it left a ringing in their ears for a few seconds after, Sarah and Caleb both turned towards the creature and both shared the same facial expression upon seeing it begin to rush them on all fours, turning quickly towards the door handle they both grasped it and yanked "OPEN YOU FUCKIN' PIECE OF SHIT!" Caleb was a bit surprised hearing his "little sister" screaming profanity at the stubborn door but understood where it was coming from. The door finally swung open and they both leaped through it almost getting stuck in the process, reaching behind him he grabbed it once again hoping it would jam for the beast as well, just then a very loud crashed resounded as they climbed the steep stairs leading out to the garage, the impact actually putting an indentation into the steel door and warping the frame a bit.

Caleb smiled and whispered thank you to no one, in particular, knowing that it would indeed be jammed, even more so than when they'd attempted to open it, turning his attention back to the garage he saw that his sister was looking for the keys already as she reached into each wheel well and rummaged around. "Doors should be open, check the visor dad always put them there." His heart fluttered with the mention of his father, and the anger built up deep within, he looked around the garage as his sister searched for the keys and stopped when his eyes fell upon the scythe hanging on the wall. The creature broke through the metal door in a rage for being detained, it could still hear it's prey above it somewhere, but very close, with an ear-deafening growl it shot up the concrete steps with a blood lust that was ravenous.

Caleb waited patiently standing behind the stone enclosure surrounding the steps leading up from below, the scythe blade rested flat against the stones his left hand twitching on the handle midway down the shaft while his right hand grabbed the end of it, he hoped the beast below would not notice the sharpened blade that awaited it. The sudden eruption of the engine filled the garage as Sarah prepared their escape, she watched as the things ears broke the surface of the tunnel opening everything playing at a slow-motion pace in her head, its eyes focused on her as the sound of the engine drew its attention. Her eye movement betrayed her brother's position as she looked to him awaiting his move.

The creature spun around quicker than either thought possible but it was too late for it anyway, the 30-inch blade came at it with a determination it's wielder wouldn't deter from. The stainless steel edge sliced through hair, muscle, and bone with surgical precision, the head rolled and stopped upon bumping into the side of the truck, it's yellow eyes still open and staring at Sarah who sat waiting for her brother to get in almost mimicking it's brother's demise only moments ago. Satisfaction briefly filled him as he watched the blood flow from the things neck stump, but it was short-lived in knowing that nothing would bring his father's smile back nor the beauty of Mae's face before him again. He hopped into the driver's seat and slammed the door shut as his foot stepped on the gas, causing the truck to stir up a wake of dirt behind it as it rocketed past the double doors of the garage.

The sunset colored the sky in a reddish hue behind the two figures standing on the hilltop, they'd picked up their father's remains and placed them in the hole both had dugout. The small cemetery was located about a mile from the farm and also held the remains of their mother, as well as friends and neighbors from surrounding farms, so it was only right to bury his remains amongst them.


End file.
